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Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, he once inhabited a fantasy world called "McDonaldland," having adventures with friends like Birdie the Early Bird, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and the Fry Kids. But since McDonaldland has been phased out, Ronald now interacts with children in their everyday lives. He also visits children in hospitals and attends regular events. History with the Macy's Parade Ronald with Balloons Ronald McDonald was introduced into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1987, where he appears to be holding a multi-colored set of balloons as he floats down the Parade route. Occasionally, the McDonald's All-American Marching band would march with the real Ronald McDonald en route. This balloon was retired after the 1994 Parade. Traditional Ronald Ronald made his grand return to the Macy's Parade in the first Parade of the new millennium. This version of Ronald had a much more basic and simple design, with an updated face to match the then-modern design of Ronald. This balloon made appearances until 2008, when it was retired as the design had become outdated. When Ronald returned to the parade, a special vehicle called the "Big Red Shoe Car" accompanied him, in which he appeared as a walk-around character. Originally he was accompanied by some of his McDonaldland friends, such as Birdie, Grimace and the Hamburgular. As these characters and franchise was phased out, Ronald was accompanied instead by the McKids from 2006 onwards. Ice-Skating Ronald In 2009, a new Ronald McDonald balloon was made. This version is the longest version of balloon Ronald yet, coming in at 78-feet-long, also making him one of the longest balloons in recent years. This version of the balloon gave Ronald a pair of ice skates, matching with his iconic shoes, and a green-and-red colored winter scarf. This Ronald would appear until 2014, when it was yet again replaced by a new balloon. Circus Ronald With Ronald's redesign in the mid-2010's, the Ronald McDonald balloon in the Parade would follow suit, and so, in 2015, the fourth and current version of Ronald was introduced. Much the the 2000 Ronald Balloon, this version was very basic, with him sporting a red-and-yellow jacket, a red-and-white stripped shirt, and as always, his iconic big red shoes, which measure in at over 6-feet-long. Incidents * In 1988, Ronald's face was slightly deflated. * In 1989, Ronald's right hand was slightly bent. * In 1993 And 1994, Ronald's green balloon was missing * In 1994, Ronald's left shoe was slightly bent * In 2001, Ronald's right arm was ripped and deflated by a Central Park tree. * In 2011, Ronald's left ice skate deflated due to unknown reasons, although a tree is a likely factor. * In 2012, Ronald's hair was deflated during preparation, and was patched with tape. Despite this, the balloon made it through the Parade. Appearance *Ronald with Balloons (1987-1990, 1993-1994) *Traditional Ronald (2000-2008) *Ice Skating Ronald (2009-2014) *Circus Ronald McDonald (Current Design) (2015-Present) Gallery *Gallery: Ronald McDonald Category:1987 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2000 Macy's Thanksigivng Day Parade Category:2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:1980s Balloons Category:2000s Balloons Category:2010s Balloons Category:Balloons accompanied by floats Category:Male Balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons that were in an accident Category:Current Balloons Category:Big Balloons